'Kashmiri militants are martyrs, their deaths should not be celebrated', says PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir described Kashmiri militants killed by Indian security forces as "martyrs", and added that their deaths should not be celebrated, according to several media reports.

Militants who are from Kashmir are martyrs, they are our brothers, some of them are minors who don't even know what they are doing: Aijaz Ahmed Mir,PDP MLA pic.twitter.com/13vRlhFBJ3

Mir was also quoted by Hindustan Timesas saying, “Call them militants or terrorists, but they are Kashmiris, they are our brothers. I request all to stop politicising their killings.”.

This comment comes a day after Mir created an uproar in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after he asked legislators not to express happiness over killing of terrorists, since they too were 'brothers', Indian Express reported. Mir also asked the House to stop the 'blame game' over the killings, according to the report.

Mir's statements came in for flak from the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) — a PDP ally — as well as Opposition National Conference (NC).

Speaking to NDTV, state BJP MLA Ravinder Raina said, "I condemn this ridiculous statement. It is glorifying terrorism, you are playing with fire. This is rubbing salt into the wounds of relatives of those killed in Pakistan-sponsored terror".

NC leader Akbar Lone said PDP is the party of contradictions which on one hand kills militants, and on the other calls them "martyrs", NDTV reported.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was quoted by DNAas saying, "Terrorists and separatists are enemies of Kashmir, Kashmiris, development, and peace. How can they be someone's brother?".

Mir's statement comes amid Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's statement that the situation cannot be cannot be set right by the Centre alone, calling all stakeholders to come together to set it right through the political process.